The Egypt Tourist Authority acknowledged Monday that the political uprising in Egypt spurred a “mass departure of tourists,” but said that tourism should recover quickly.

The long-discussed cruise ship berthing port project in George Town, Grand Cayman, appears to be moving forward. The government previously stated that it wants the facility completed by November 2012.

The town of Falmouth, Trelawny, welcomed its first cruise ship, Voyager of the Seas, with about 4,500 passengers and crew members, bringing to reality the cherished dream of thousands of residents of the parish and western Jamaica on Thursday (February 17).

Barbados recorded 52,685 tourist arrivals in January, an increase of 8.7 percent over the same period in 2010, according to the Barbados Tourism Authority. The figures were the best recorded in January in the past four years, according to authority officials. The January totals included 12,278 arrivals from the U.S., an 11.5 percent increase over 2010.

St. Lucia recorded 305,937 overnight tourists in 2010, a 10 percent increase over 2009 totals and the second best year to date, according to the St. Lucia Tourist Board. The 2010 total is 1 percent below the all-time high recorded in 2006.

Mexico’s rapidly eroding security situation has attracted more negative press and fewer international visitors over the last few years. Millions of foreigners certainly still travel to the country each year, although they mostly confine themselves to the self-contained beach resorts, which provide little opportunity for exploring or exposure to Mexican culture.